Fact Sheet

May 2008

The Canada Border Services Agency: A vital part of the Our Missing Children program

Overview

Every day, Canada’s 7,200 border services officers are on the alert for abducted or missing children at this country’s international airports, marine ports and land border crossings.

Their work is part of Our Missing Children, a successful joint program between Canada’s law enforcement and government agencies. Founded in 1986, the program’s goal is to locate and reunite missing or abducted children with their parents or legal guardians. Government of Canada departments involved include the RCMP, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the Department of Justice and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The CBSA’s Role

The CBSA plays a vital role in this award-winning partnership by protecting children at border points of entry. Since Our Missing Children began, officers have reunited over 1,500 missing or abducted children with their legal guardians.

Protecting Children at the Border

The CBSA’s contribution to Our Missing Children requires teamwork at home and abroad. In Canada, the CBSA has national coordinators managing its part of the program that are supported by regional coordinators across the country. The regional coordinators help front-line officers by providing training and offering legislative or procedural guidance.

The CBSA’s National Risk Assessment Centre in Ottawa also plays a role. This 24/7 operation works closely with officers and coordinators by verifying immigration information and by managing national lookout reports for missing or abducted children.

Beyond the CBSA’s internal efforts, its network of Our Missing Children coordinators is linked to all Canadian police forces through the Canadian Police Information Centre. Internationally, the coordinators are connected to police agencies in the United States through the National Crime Information Center and to most overseas police agencies through INTERPOL. The network is also in contact with many other organizations that play an integral role in recovering missing children: foreign government agencies, non-governmental agencies and foreign social services.

Together, the program’s strong network of national and international players and the CBSA’s coordinators ensure that border services officers have the most up-to-date information and can react quickly to any possible abduction or missing child case.

Training and Outreach

Border services officers are trained on how to handle situations involving abducted or runaway children. The program’s partners provide officers with training packages on dealing with abduction cases, the indicators and profiles of abductors, interviewing techniques for children and possible abductors, and the various applicable laws. The CBSA also delivers training workshops to Canadian police forces, airline personnel, foreign customs services, U.S. immigration officers and law enforcement agencies around the world.

The CBSA is committed to keeping families safe so it works to educate the public on Our Missing Children and on its role in protecting children at the border. CBSA information booths are set up at trade shows and other events like National Missing Children’s Day (May 25) and National Police Week to distribute awareness pamphlets and other materials.

If you have information about missing children, please call toll-free 1-877-318-3576.

For more information, visit the Our Missing Children Web site at www.ourmissingchildren.gc.ca.

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